I joined the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund board of directors in January 2010. Despite the training and orientation I received on the process for reviewing grants, I was not prepared for the real-life stories in the requests for a grant from the Fund.
One of the first grant applications I reviewed involved a husband who had taken a leave from his job to care for his wife during her last few months. He and his wife had spent their entire savings to provide care for her at home. They had three young children who were overwhelmed with the thought of losing their mother. The grant they were requesting would assist in covering household bills and free the husband of financial concerns for a brief period to allow the family to focus on the time they had left together.
This story struck home for me because I realized that a health issue such as this could happen to me and my family. What would life be like for my two sons if they lost their mother so early in their lives? It put into perspective what is really important and made me proud to work for a company that provides this type of assistance to families and caregivers in a time of need.
The main purpose of the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund is to assist those who are coping with terminal illness, death, and the process of grief and bereavement. In addition, the Hospice Memorial Fund supports community-based services and education related to hospice care. Many families often look for ways to show their gratitude for hospice services they receive. We need to encourage families who are thankful to donate to our Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund so we continue to expand the level of support we provide to families in need and to community-based services.
I am a proud to be a member of the Heartland Hospice Memorial Find board of directors and wish to thank those employees who provide a high level of care to families at such a difficult time in their lives.
